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common tarweed
Scientific Name: Centromadia pungens ssp. laevis
Family: Asteraceae
Category: Dicot
Growth: Forb/herb
Duration: Annual
Other Names:
Tarweed: A Sticky Situation Worth Exploring
Tarweed is a common name applied to several plants, primarily those within the Madieae tribe of the Asteraceae (sunflower) family. These plants are known for their fragrant oil and often sticky, hairy texture.
Considerations for Pets
- The foliage of tarweed exudes a fragrant oil.
- Many tarweeds are sticky and hairy due to glandular trichomes.
Considerations for Children
- Many tarweeds are sticky and hairy due to glandular trichomes.
Nomenclature and Taxonomy
- Common Name: Tarweed, Tarplant, Common Tarweed, Common Spikeweed
- Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower family)
- The name "tarweed" is applied to various plants within the Madieae tribe.
- Some specific species and subspecies mentioned include:
- Anisocarpus madioides
- Centromadia pungens (common spikeweed or common tarweed)
- Centromadia pungens subsp. pungens
- Centromadia pungens ssp. laevis
- Hemizonia pungens
- Hemizonia fasciculata (Clustered Tarweed)
- Madia elegans (common madia, showy madia)
- Madia elegans densifolia (showy tarweed)
- Madia elegans elegans (common madia)
- Madia gracilis (Common Tarweed, Grassy Tarweed)
- Centromadia parryi (Pappose tarweed)
Distribution and Habitat
- Tarweeds are native to western North America.
- Centromadia pungens is a species of North American plant.
- They are commonly found in California.
- They can be found in seasonally flooded areas.
- Hemizonia fasciculata is native to western North America.
- Common tarweed (Madia elegans) is found in grasslands and open areas in the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion.
Morphological Characteristics
- Madia elegans is described as an erect annual with hairy, branching stems.
- It has narrow, linear to lance-shaped, mid-green leaves.
- It produces yellow, daisy-like flowers in summer.
- The heads of M. elegans are marked with an inner red ring.
- Flowers of Madia gracilis are small and yellow and close by mid-morning.
Ecological Role
- Some tarweeds are adapted to extreme summer-dry conditions due to their annual habit.
Interactions with Other Organisms
- The common tarweed, despite having glandular trichomes, can be visited by five types of predatory arthropods.
Quirky Facts
- Tarweed exudes resin, which is thought to reduce water loss from plant tissue during the long dry summer.
Further Resources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica offers an updated online encyclopedia with articles and multimedia related to common tarweed.
- Dave's Garden is a community where people share tips and ideas for gardens, along with seeds and plants.